SOUP AND SAMMIES

After the elements pushed us inside last night, we were a little wary to peek our heads out the door this morning. But we needed a run at the gym so we braved it ... and the results were good! It's still cold and the snow is all around, but apparently St. Patrick dialed up a little sun for the parade.

Anyway, after the gym, we hit the grocery to make a quick lunch of soup and sandwiches. The soup was just store-bought, creamy organic tomato, but the sandwiches included:
- green apple
- panini bread
- black forest ham
- swiss
- roma tomato
- homemade mustard
- balsamic reduction

No pans or heat included in this sandwich. Just the regular cold variety. But it was packed with flavors and totally delicious. The soup wasn't quite as good as we would have liked. We opted for saving a few pennies and lost out. The one that's 50 cents more is way better. Oh, well. Now we know!

LIL' FRIDAY NIGHT

Friends, it was cold last night. Miserable. Disgusting. Horrible. The snow wouldn’t quit and the streets were just caked in slush and nastiness. It was one of the most disgusting nights I've seen in my time in New York.

And due to that fact, we decided to stick to the neighborhood and keep it strictly cozy at Lil' Frankies. It was pretty fantastic, too. We ate in the side of the restaurant we'd never been to and the food was fantastic as always.

Meena had:
- rigatoni with baby meatballs

Alec had:
- pizza marinara

Diana, if you're reading this ... they reminded me it had no cheese. We were laughing that the only time they didn't ask was the time we took you there. So we're back to normal. That night was just a fluke.

Anyway, the pizza was delicious and the baby meatballs are always a little bit of Italian heaven. We unsuccessfully tried to order a bottle of wine twice before they finally had one we liked in stock. I guess we were choosing wisely if they were out of the first two. Or maybe they just don't keep everything well stocked. Matters not. We wound up with a nice primitivo that had just a bit of sweetness. It was nice with my spicy marinara. Meena enjoyed it as well.

And that was that! Long live frank.

NOTE: Photo has nothing to do with dinner. Just the front of Frankies the next day ... gearing up for St. Pats!

MEN'S JOURNAL MAKES ME DO STRANGE THINGS

Thursday night was a Men's Journal event night. It was strange because it started around 8:00 rather than the normal 6:30 or whatever. But it did give Meena and I enough time to meet up and grab some Thai before I had to be over there (NOTE: Meena heard we had 800 RSVPs and decided it didn't sound like a fun time ... if I had the option, I would have skipped for sure!)

Anyway, we don't really know the whole Flatiron area very well but I'd heard of Pongsri before so we went with it. It was cold and rainy, so we were really just looking for anything that would get us out of the elements.

The inside of the place was sorta bright and uninviting. It reminded us of midtown. But the people were really nice and the other patrons seemed to be enjoying everything. After grabbing a couple Singha's, we got started with:

- fried spring rolls

Then we both had:
- chicken pad thai

It was really strange because when we both asked for our dinner spicy, the lady didn't know what to do. She said pad thai isn't normally a spicy dish and she could only bring us hot sauce and stuff on the side. Bonkers. We ALWAYS order pad thai spicy and nobody ever gives us a hard time. At any rate, she brought this crazy assortment of thai "hot spices" that included a chili powder (SUPER HOT), chili paste (HOT) and a green chili pepper mix (MILD) that did the trick.

At the end of it, I'm not sure it was the best thai we'd ever had. I'm sure of it, actually. But it was nice to hang with Meena and cross another Manhattan thai spot off the list.

LOST FEAST

I feel like all we do is cook on the weekends lately. Sorry to bore everyone to tears with all this delivery stuff. My bad. I'll do my best to cook more next week. I've been really busy at work, so it's been tough.

Anyway, for this Wednesday evening before Lost, we just did Hiro delivery. I had class and had been busy at work and just didn't feel like boiling water.

Tonight, Meena had:
- shrimp shumai
- pork dumplings (half order)
- chicken tempura roll
- spicy tuna crunch roll

Alec had the:
- miso soup
- maki combo A featuring spicy salmon roll, california roll and tekka
- pork dumplings (half order)

Delicious.

LEBANESE SAMPLER

Last night we actually had the kids again. But not until much later, so dinner wasn't actually influenced. I don't really know why we decided on Cinderella, but I feel like it was in large part due to long work days. It just felt simple, nice and filling.

All Alec really wanted was:
- gyro sandwich

Meena had:
- the gyro sandwich
- curly fries

Meena also ordered a spinach pie. We both had a bite because we were equally curious. I can't lie, it was gross. I mean. Not gross, gross. It wasn't the worst thing on the planet. But it was a little sour and nothing to write home about. I had a couple fries. Curly fries are always good. No way around it. And Cinderella gyros are the best around. Especially with a ton of really spicy hot sauce.

THAI WITH THE KID

After a very long Monday at the office, cooking was way out of the question. And we found out later in the day that the kids were coming over for dinner. We don't really have kids. We just call our friend Lopez the "kids" because occasionally he drops in and spends the night if he has a 5:00 a.m. call time or something. He had one of those nightmare assignments this week, so we just thought Tara Thai delivery was in order.

That said, Meena had:
- chicken pad thai (spicy)
- thai spring rolls

Alec tried the:
- tom yum kai
- mixed vegetables with basil (spicy)

Lopez had the (not pictured)
- red curry

Everything was very delicious. I don't normally go the veggie route, but it just seemed right. I don't know why, but I was right. It was really good. I did go the chicken route rather than shrimp in my soup ... so I wasn't a total veg head or anything. I think Lopez and Meena really dug theirs. Too bad none of us felt the same about last night’s Bauer Hour ...

PESTO!

Slow Sunday. Slow, slow Sunday. We had a delicious dinner with Diana and James last night (post to come soon. I'm just waiting on her ingredients. I got a little crunk and couldn't remember what she used. I need to go right to the source.)

Anyway, with fish not being a real option tonight, we decided on chicken. And for some crazy reason, I had this massive urge to buy some peas. I guess I read something about them recently and literally all morning, all I thought about was using peas in something. So that's what we did!

I'm not sure what to call this, but I suppose accuracy is the best bet - pesto chicken with spinach and peas:
- chicken breast
- salt
- pepper
- balsamic vinegar
- fresh spinach
- onions
- garlic
- fresh pesto (parmesan, pine nuts, garlic, basil, salt, pepper, vinegar)
- green peas

In all, this was a nice dish. The peas were sweet and the pesto had a really nice kick. I think the pesto could have been spread over the chicken and then sliced for a prettier presentation ... but I digress. It was delicious.

COMPLIMENTS TO THE CHEF

I don't even know where to start. We had so much wonderful food with James and Diana at their place in Williamsburg. We had so much wine. We had so much fun. It was one of the most fun Saturday nights we've had in some time.

But because this thing is about food and this was an especially good night for finer nourishment, I just want to jump right into D's wonderful cuisine.

Course 1: Pan fried chicken with a cucumber-sunflower seed salad and sunflower seed/parsley pesto

Course 2: Grilled shrimp over romaine with pancetta and hearts of palm with a creamy pancetta, garlic, apple dressing

Course 3: Mini pork and beef meatballs over angel hair nests with chicken broth, white wine, butter sauce

Everything was, as previously stated, amazing. I'll talk about my highlights briefly. In the opening course, the pesto was out of this world. In the second course, the hearts of palm were simply perfect with D's wonderful dressing. Course 3? It was all a highlight. But those meatballs ... wow.

I forgot my camera so I was left with more crappy cell phone shots. My apologies to the chef. But we did catch some great shots of D hangin' in her super stylish apron. James helped her get it on properly. Thanks James!

Again ... one of the best Saturdays we've had in a long time. From food to friends to music and wine. Outstanding.

HOME AGAIN

Friday morning on our way to work we decided we needed a trip to one of our favorite spots in the city to wash away the stress of the week. So once we'd put everything to bed for the week, we both met back in the West Village for a lovely evening at Tartine.

When we lived in the West Village, we probably went to Tartine at least once a week. It was our neighborhood favorite. We'd stop by Manley's, buy a bottle of wine (they're BYOB) and just zip down West 4th for the most comforting French faire around.

I completely forgot to take photos, but I was lucky enough to find a review written by Richard AB and he had some nice shots. Even one of the dish I order every time I'm there! Thanks for the helping, hand Mr. AB.

The "combo combo" was one of our favorite appetizers at Tartine, but it's unfortunately not on the menu any longer. They had a nice little scallop dish that was similar to the garlicky mussels we loved so much. It was basically just delicious little scallops with a creamy tobiko sauce.

After the opener, Meena had her usual:
- sautéed chicken with fries

I had my standard:
- pissalidiere with anchovies and goat cheese

With a nice little bottle of red from Manley's, it was just like heaven. It's places and nights like this that make me love this city so much.

SOME NEW THAI

Tonight was mad lazy. I got home a little late and because it was crazy cold outside (also payday!) we decided to just call in some Tara Thai.

Normally I get something called krapraw. Something like that. It's basically just chicken/beef with basil. I typically even list it as such. But so you know, the technical name is krapraw. Or. Something. Anyway, the point is, I always get that. So tonight, I decided to do something new. After much careful consideration, I landed on a special dish I hoped would be delicious.

Meena had:
- chicken pad thai (spicy)
- thai spring rolls

Alec tried the:
- tom yum koong
- chicken laab (spicy)

Meena's was delicious as always. Crunchy spring rolls. Spicy pad thai. What's not to love? And my new adventure? Fantastic. I really enjoyed it. It's basically ground chicken with mint leaves, onions, spicy stuff ... Anyway. It was great and I'll totally get it again. Once again, I'm totally impressed with all things Tara Thai.

DRUNK FOR MAY

Last night the Men's Journal management staff treated us to some drinks after they had dyed their hair in honor of some superior sales efforts for our upcoming May issue. Long story. But all you really need to know is that I got slightly blasted in Midtown before I came home to have some delicious Baluchi's Indian food with Miss Meena!

Meena had already finished up hers by the time I got home, but she got the standard:
- fish pakora appetizer
- tikka masala dinner

When I got back, she had the following waiting:
- chicken tikka appetizer
- lamb vindaloo dinner

With a cold beer ... there is hardly anything better than delicious, spicy Indian food.

WE'RE GAME

Tonight I was on a game show. It was pretty surreal. James, Jason and I taped this show for the Game Show Network. Yes, it's an actual station carried by most cable providers. Anyway, we did really well. And that was cool. But suffice it to say, filming our episode of Chain Reaction was very strange. It was a ton of fun being on with James and Jason, though. That made it all worthwhile.

Anyway, Meena came with Diana to cheer us on, so rather than making dinner, we decided to call in Hiro on this bitter cold evening. I almost felt bad. It was so cold the Japanese deliveryman even commented on the weather. That never happens.

Tonight, Meena had:
- shrimp shumai (half order)
- pork dumplings (half order)
- chicken tempura roll
- spicy tuna crunch roll

Alec had the:
- miso soup
- maki combo A featuring spicy salmon roll, california roll and tekka
- shrimp shumai (half order)
- pork dumplings (half order)

That may seem like a ton of food (it was, sorta ...) but it wasn't bad. I'm full for sure, but hey ... I did a fantastic job on the Game Show Network's Chain Reaction!!

BURGER & FRIES

Last night was a cooking night, but it was definitely a lazy one. We were both running a bit late getting home from work and rather than extensive slicing and dicing, we took a few shortcuts to ensure dinner made it to the table without any major headaches.

First and foremost, Meena picked up a bag of organic pre-cut frozen fries. We wouldn't normally do this, but like I said, we were going for easy tonight. We threw them in the oven for about 25 minutes and they came out crispy and delicious.

Our evening's main course was a very simple salmon burger. We were going to chop up the final fillet from our side of salmon, but we just decided using some of the baked salmon salad for the base was the easiest option. In addition, we used:
- rice vinegar
- shiitake mushrooms
- soy sauce
- sesame seeds
- green onions
- garlic
- egg

I also grilled up a couple additional shiitakes with some soy sauce and rice vinegar as a nice little garnish. With some barbecue sauce and those delicious mushrooms, our burgers had a really great pop of Asian inspired flavor.

The buns were a little aggressive, but that's all Gracefully had in stock. No biggie.

Anyway, this was a pretty good one given how quickly it all came together. On to Bauer Hour!

REPEAT!

When Meena went to the grocery, it was our intention to make some salmon burgers with the couple fillets we'd cut from the second side of our fish. When she got home with everything, it seemed evident, however, we were making the salmon with seaweed, shiitake and wasabi mashed potatoes again!

By no means a problem. I think we were both pretty excited to have it again. We kept most of the ingredients the same but made a couple substitutions due to availability of ingredients:

Wasabi mashed potatoes:
- baby yukon gold potatoes
- wasabi powder
- fat-free butter stuff
- olive oil

Pan roasted salmon:
- salmon fillets
- rice vinegar
- olive oil
- soy sauce

Mushroom salad:
- shiitake mushrooms
- dried korean seaweed (re-hydrated)
- garlic powder
- olive oil
- rice vinegar
- soy sauce
- sesame seeds

I think we both agreed this is one of the best things on our little menu. I'm not sure how we even decided to make this in the first place, but I have a feeling we'll be making this for years to come. Just the right amount of wasabi spice, vinegar bite and smooth salmon. Another wonderful Sunday dinner.

WE HAVE SOME SALMON

On Sunday morning, I went down to Chinatown to pick up a salmon. I had the nice guy at the fish market fillet my little beauty and lop off the head. I went to a couple markets and found one with nice clear eyes all packed in ice. The skin was bright and its flesh was firm. I knew I had a good one.

It was really strange watching the guy dice up my fish. He used the strangest blade and made it look really easy. It was pretty cool if I'm being totally honest.

Anyway, I took it home and one side immediately went into the oven for baked salmon salad. Nothing special, just a couple ingredients:
- olive oil
- salt
- pepper

I baked it for about half an hour and once all the fat had gone opaque, I took it out of the oven and let it cool. Once it had rested and gone to about room temp, I flaked the side into a bowl and mixed it with a bit of salt and low-fat mayo. Presto - baked salmon salad for lunch this week!

Also, while I was waiting for the salmon to bake, I took a bit of the other side I'd carved up for dinner and pan fried it with a little soy and rice vinegar. I took the salmon and mixed it up with:
- salsa
- tortilla chips
- parmesan
- black pepper

They didn't look very good. Not good at all. But the taste was pretty nice! The corn chips actually went well with the salsa and creamy salmon. Delicious!

GARBAGE BREAKFAST RETURNS

We literally had almost nothing in the fridge this Sunday morning. We had a couple things that needed to be pitched and a couple more that were totally game for another wonderful garbage breakfast!

For this one, we used:
- eggs
- krab with a "k"
- green onions
- cheddar cheese
- shiitake mushrooms
- pepper
- salt
- garlic powder

It may seem like a really crappy combination, but I'll be honest, it wasn't bad. We threw a couple pieces of wheat toast on the sides and man, it was pretty good. Nice way to get a Sunday morning going!

BURRITOVILLE: POPULATION ... US

This one was my mistake. We were on our way to see The Zodiac last night and we just needed to grab a bite along the way. I saw Burritoville and thought it was San Loco. I got the two confused. So rather than having some delicious tacos and enchiladas, we had some sub par ones that weren't really satisfying. Whoops!

Anyway, Alec had:
- two chicken tacos
- chips and salsa

Meena had the:
- chicken enchiladas with tomatillo salsa

They also gave us some rice and beans and we both had a couple bites. Bottom line, this is a pretty awful spot. I'm sure the burritos are great. I mean they named the place after them! But the tacos and enchiladas are just so so.

Anyway, the movie was great! Very super long, but it was a ton of fun.

OUT OF ORDER

Friday night we went to a going away party for one of Meena's works friends. Rather than eat prior to, we had to split down there immediately following work. I'm not complaining, it was great. We had some beers and hung out with the whole SELF crew at a really comfortable bar down on Spring. Everyone was in great spirits, it was beautiful out (they had a back porch open!) and we picked some great music on the jukebox.

Anyway, after we'd had our fill of beer and friends, we took a cab up to Momofuku and plowed through some late night ssam. It was delicious! Korean burritos in the middle of the night? Only in the East Village!

WE FELT LIKE THAI

It had been a long week at this point and after another long night at the office, I picked up a bottle of wine on the way home and Meena called in some Tara Thai. It was basically exactly what we needed to go with being lazy and watching 30 Rock.

Meena had:
- chicken pad thai (spicy)
- thai spring rolls

Alec tried the:
- tom yum koong
- chicken with basil (spicy)

It was a lot of heat. My soup was leaps and bounds hotter than past tom yum koong. The chicken with basil was basically the exact same thing as the beef with basil. Just different meats. Still delicious. Meena loved everything she ordered. Thank you kind people of Tara Thai, we needed this.

SAMMIES OF THE WORLD

I was still recovering from feeling ill the night before, so we just decided to order some sandwiches. I'm not sure why, but that was the only thing that sounded even remotely appetizing to me. Meena went along with my request and we called Tiny's Giant Sandwich Shop.

I had a hankering for a ham sandwich with some extras:
- ham
- roasted red peppers
- provolone
- lettuce
- baguette
- oil and vinegar

Meena ordered a vegetarian meatball sandwich that proved to be one of the worst things we've ever allowed into the house. It looked horrible (thus no photo) and it smelled equally bad. She pitched it and called for a gyro and curly fries instead.

Unfortunate turn of events for Meena, but she ended up happy and full. My sandwich hit the spot. I'm not sure why, but that ham sandwich was the only thing that would have worked on a Wednesday night. Delicious.